After his Memorial Day Double attempt last year ended up only being an Indy 500 start, due to weather which affected both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, Kyle Larson returned to the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team for another try this year, though a partnership with his NASCAR Cup Series team, Hendrick Motorsports.
Larson's initial deal was said to be a two-year deal with Arrow McLaren, so while he still technically had to make the decision to come back, the framework was already in place to make the return happen with relative ease, new NASCAR rule change notwithstanding.
Unfortunately for Larson, he was unable to do this year what he did last year and run all 200 laps around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Speedway, Indiana oval, as he crashed after just 91 laps on a restart.
He was able to compete in both races, this time, however, making him just the fifth driver to officially attempt the Double, and the first since Kurt Busch in 2014. He was taken out in a Coca-Cola 600 crash as well.
But after the Indy 500, fans were left questioning Larson's future.
McLaren tweeted about Larson's Indy 500 result, thanking him "for the memories".
As of now, Larson does not have a deal to compete in next year's Indy 500, and while there are probably 10 or 11 months for that to change, especially after his full 1,100-mile attempt fell considerably short this year, you'd have to imagine that those at McLaren are under the impression that he won't be back next year.
Having said that, Larson and McLaren could still be open to making more memories together. But considering the fact that Larson's initial deal was put together well over a year in advance of the 2024 race, it does seem like he won't end up being in next year's Indy 500.
Plus, none of the team's other driver shoutouts for full-time drivers Pato O'Ward, Christian Lundgaard, or Nolan Siegel were worded this way. O'Ward finished in fourth place ahead of Lundgaard in ninth, while Siegel crashed on the final lap and finished 16th.
And while O'Ward didn't name names, he did point to "non-experience" at the front of some "pathetic" restarts. Larson wasn't at the front when he wrecked on a restart, but his mistake was certainly avoidable, given the questionable downshift that preceded a spin that also took out two others.
The 110th running of the Indy 500 is set to be shown live on Fox from Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, 2026.